Month: March 2018

The skilled workforce is the lifeblood of every organization; the right people can take the organization ahead. Unfortunately, most of the organizations treat performance management as an yearly event. Companies which on the contrary review or revise their goals on a quarterly basis boast of an above-average financial performance and do really well as compared to their competitors. Performance management is more than just employee achievement audits. Organization needs to work on an ongoing management cycle where employees are given ongoing support to do better.

In most cases, it is seen that the employees do not have a clear understanding of what they are expected to do. They should have the clear vision of where they exactly fit into the company and how they can effectively contribute for the overall success of the organization. A manager should always align the workforce with higher organizational goals. This will make the employees feel more responsible and allows the individuals to have more onus about their work. Unless the personalized objectives are aligned with greater organizational goals, the organization cannot move forward.

Employees should be recognized for their achievements. If an employee has unexpected appreciation, it will go a long way. With a reward and recognition program in place, it is easier for the organizations to retain employees and engage them effectively in business. The process of performance management should never be treated in isolation; managers should have an integrated approach for employee learning. An evaluation process can be effective only when it is used as an instrument for growth.

If an employee is given feedback, it should be specific. Also, one must remember that a feedback works best when it is related to specific goals. This is the best way to tell the employees if they going on the right path. An employee should understand that feedbacks are not criticisms; rather they are channels of communication which should be presented in such a way, that the feedback should sum up what an employee did right and then identify what exactly needs to be improved in the future.

In order to have regular interactions with your employees, it is imperative that you develop a sound structure to record the goals, monitor performances and open up communication channels between employees and managers. There are some organizations like GE which has developed an app where managers can deliver more regular feedback to their employees.

There are instances of companies which have thrived on a 360-degree feedback system. Here employees receive anonymous and confidential feedback from their co-workers. This online process ensures that the identity of the feedback giver is never disclosed. With this evaluation process, it is easier to understand the strengths and weaknesses of every individual. This feedback encourages the staff to be more productive and efficient.

Artificial Intelligence [AI] has been revolutionizing industries one by one and their next target in 2018 is the arena of digital marketing which is already in an evolved phase. In fact, AI has a huge potential in the area of digital marketing; it can not only offer better customer experience, but can also boost targeted marketing so that there is greater Return on Investment in business. Let’s talk about 5 ways in which AI will effectively help digital marketing.

AI ensures that we have technologies that are capable of recognizing voices and faces. You must have heard and used conversational interfaces. Just a decade ago, it was literally impossible to think that you could book a flight just by talking to the screen. When you are talking about personalizing user experience, one has to think about the huge potential of AI. Based on collected data like customer behavioural patterns, customer searches, and specific interests of the customers, customized content campaigns can be conducted. Chatbots, on the other hand are programmed to communicate with customers on the basis of data received. Days are not far when you will have multi-dimensional communication systems with enhanced sensory abilities like touch and voice.

With an AI-enabled software you can now get a detailed description of the image. You may have heard about Amazon’s latest creation Amazon Rekognition which is capable of identifying emotions, human faces and even identify objects. In case of financial and banking sector, the AI-enabled image recognition process can be used for customer security and faster payment processes. It is easier for any client to map the brand against the various photos available in social media to understand various buyer demographics. This helps to align the marketing strategies of a particular client.

Artificial Intelligence can be used as an optimization tool for offline marketing. AI has demonstrated great potential in automating ads. You can consider Facebook’s AI powered translation tool in this sector which has been trained to understand how intent works in various languages. Technologies like this can allow the marketers newer opportunities to distribute content internationally. With an AI-enabled software, you can now monitor web traffic, optimize content and interact with visitors on days when you are at home.

It is a known fact that most customers love content, services, products and content that are personalized for them. In a recent survey, it has been noted that almost 33% of the marketers use AI to deliver only personalized experiences to the user. You can automate email marketing and go for regular push notifications to all the prospective customers based on every micro moments.

In case of traditional marketing, it takes a lot of effort to collect the data of different sample sizes, filter them and then analyze them to create an effective plan. With an AI, you can penetrate deep into the data which can be easily extracted from various sources and reach the right audience through segmentation. As for consumers, they can browse through different AI-empowered suggestions while sitting at homes.

Fast-evolving and dynamic, the digital media has completely transformed the way we communicate with others. Unlike other eras, we are more connected with each other. With a tablet, smartphone, and other gadgets, it is literally possible to ‘plug in’ virtually from anywhere. Did you know that on an average, 2.5 billion people plug in every day in different social media platforms and a majority of them are students? What is the relevance of the content shared via social media platforms? Let us look at 5 ways in which students can benefit from using social media.

As a beginner, students must be smart with their social media accounts. They should break the habit of posting anything spontaneously and impulsively. In order to create meaningful digital presence for their future, students need to avoid posts ‘made in the moment’. If you want to create an accurate digital portfolio which is insightful, you must think about meaningful and deliberate posts.

Students normally post content to impress their friends. It stems largely from their thrill of receiving positive feedback through tweets, comments, shares, likes and new followers. In the process, students completely forget the larger social media audience. But you do need to remember that most college admission officers, employers, coaches, scholarship committees often form the first impressions of a person based on social media review prior to a real-life meet. Students must use their social media profiles to reflect their attributes and skills they wish to convey to their potential employers and peers.

All social media platforms use the method of storytelling to grab the attention of the audience. Students can use the same method through photos, words, audio and videos to tell their stories. You can use your Instagram account, to create rich-content displays. You can turn a blogger and use your own experiences to enrich your LinkedIn platform. Narrate your high-school and college experiences to create an impact on your future employers. As for your co-curricular activities, interests and other details, you can use your Facebook account.

As you learn to use social media wisely, you connect with experts on various topics via social media. You soon learn about the experts in particular subjects and fields. As you start following these experts, you soon learn more and gain useful content from the experts. Social media helps to broaden your perspective; you can engage the experts to get answers on topics you need.

Students can use social media platforms to establish a context for themselves. With a social media platform, students can use both project-based learning and place-based education to connect to people, places and various ideas outside the curriculum map.

Have a new idea? Use the social media platform to share it with others who will be interested in your ideas. You can document the process of that particular idea like where it came from, how it changed, what you can do with it, and the main ways in which it can be influenced, and what you can do with it. By using the creative and connected abilities of the social media, you can simply amplify that particular concept.